Patient: "Doc? It hurts when I do this!" (flexing arm)
Doctor (Archie Campbell) "well don't DO that!!" (hits arm with chrome reflex-hammer)
Posted on 03/31/2016 6:02:17 AM PDT by Wolfie
New Jersey hospital emergency room becomes first in U.S. to end use of opioid painkillers
PATERSON, N.J. -- St. Joseph’s Regional Medical Center announced it has become the first hospital in the country to implement a program that will manage patients' pain in the emergency room without the use of opioid painkillers.
Painkillers most frequently used in the emergency room in the past were oxycodone, vicodin and percocet, according to Dr. Mark Rosenberg, the Emergency Department chair.
“Our job here together is to look at the whole equation and understand how we can stop people from going from a prescription, to an addiction,” he said.
About a half-mile down the road from St. Joseph’s, recovering addicts are lining up for treatment at Eva’s Village.
Demetria Washington said she started on pills before moving on to heroin.
“Then I couldn’t get to it no more and a girlfriend of mine was like well you could just try heroin. And I tried it and I liked it.”
She used drugs for 18 years, before entering recovery. She’s been clean for 8 years and currently works as a recovery specialist at Eva's.
“A lot of people use prescription drugs and then they end up turning to heroin,” she added.
Washington’s co-worker told us that she warns her son about the dangers of abusing prescription painkillers everyday.
“That’s what I tell my son because he’s seen me at my lowest point,” said Geraldine Lowe.
Lowe is also a recovering addict and a recovery specialist at Eva’s Village.
"As a matter of fact, and I’m not ashamed to say it, he was born addicted to drugs,” she said, adding that her son is now using pills.
America’s pill problem hits close to home, even for the head of St. Joseph's Emergency Department. Dr. Rosenberg said his mother-in-law recently broke her wrist.
“She went to the local emergency department without telling me, and she got 5 percocet and told to see her family doctor. Family doctor gave her a prescription for 100. She’s 93 years old. 100 percocet. The point being is we, our culture is such that it’s really, really out of control,” said Dr. Rosenberg.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, more people died from drug overdoses in 2014 than than in any year on record, beating out deaths caused by car crashes and guns. Heroin and painkiller abuse are driving this problem, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration.
“In 2012, there were enough opioid prescriptions issued - nearly 260 million - to give every man, woman and child in the country their own bottle of pills,” said U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ).
Federal and local lawmakers, law enforcement and health officials met for several hours at St. Joseph’s today to discuss how to stem the tide of opioid addiction.
“Everybody is at this table that should be, except for a few other people. We need the pharmaceuticals here, because they're shoving drugs down our throats,” said U.S. Congressman Bill Pascrell (D-NJ).
St. Joseph’s Emergency Department, one of the busiest in the nation, has already begun to treat over 250 patients with alternative medicine or treatments, who would have otherwise received opioids. While opioids will still be used by St. Joseph’s staff to treat chronic pain, they will no longer be the first line of treatment.
“We have to acknowledge the fact that opioids are an essential drug to managing people with severe pain, like cancer pain,” said Dr. Rosenberg.
Federal legislation known as the Comprehensive addiction and recovery act is currently pending that could provide federal grants to states and local governments to combat the national epidemic of heroin addiction and prescription painkiller abuse.
It passed the Senate this month, it has not been voted on in the house
There are some things that you should absolutely be ashamed of. This is one of those.
Hey, just like my dad! My dad was a brilliant “doctor” and I didn’t even know it.
This is stupid. I have been on many of those painkillers over the years and was always able to stop taking them.
***************************************************************
Same here. I’m prescribed five 10Mg Vicodin per day, some days I take them, some days I don’t. When the pain gets really bad, I take them.
Right. This is a liberal approach. Nanny state. So those of us who can manage pain control at home and not end up addicted are punished.
I think the issue is....having been around the rural areas of the south....is that people will get the prescription, and eventually reach a stage where the normal amount of Perocet won’t work. So, they go to Doctor number two, and get a second prescription. They are then taking twice the normal amount of medication, and eventually....that won’t be enough because the body adapts after a while to each dosage.
Liver damage? Yeah. It may take a couple of years, but your liver will suffer and whatever pain you had....won’t matter at that point.
Confusion? Go talk to the folks who upped their levels and reached a point where they were fairly confused on a regular basis. These are people who shouldn’t be working...shouldn’t be driving...and can’t be relied upon to handle their personal affairs.
I do agree that after some accidents and operations...Percocet makes sense in limited doses. Once you get past that point, and it’s more of a permanent thing...you need to find someone and sign your affairs over to them because you can’t be dependable anymore.
Bob needs to put down his drink, move away from the teen prostitutes and pay attention. The US population is more than 320 million now.
As I read the headline, that means that if someone is brought to their ER with the crushing pain of an MI, or 3rd degree burns, they will give him -- a Tylenol?
This should be a great hospital ER to avoid at all costs!
I have been on Xanax since 2009 (granted, not a pain pill)
.05 Milligram 5:00 every morning and 8:00 at night. No more no less.....Now Under Obamacare I have to see my Dr. once a year just to refill my scripts...Hope they dont take this away. By the way, You can just go to Craigslist and buy any
script you want, delivered to your house. VERY SAD and the Gov. has no idea.......
Perhaps if they didn’t allow 15 different doctors to write prescriptions for pain meds for the same patient.
Rubbish. You wake up with massive pain and compound fractures and when they hand you a Tylenol, I’m sure you’ll be fine with that because people abuse opioids.
People abuse alcohol and it is out of control, ready to ban that yet and that is a recreational drug?
Correct. I broke my foot last October. The first 3 days after the break it hurt ( a lot) and I am no wimp. Had all four of my children without any drugs. But for the broken foot I needed some pain relief for the first 72 hours. There is a place for opioid drugs in the emergency room. People with legitimate pain shouldn’t have to suffer because of the druggies. Let’s have some common sense here.
I was told that once you are on a specific opioid pain med for over a year, you are now addicted to it whether you want to admit it or not.
Another complication of opioids is that it shuts down your digestive system gives you constipation and over the long term other serious health problems, beyond addiction.
Where I grew up in the south...I’d take a guess that 10-percent of the guys between thirty and sixty....are regularly taking opioid pain meds. They have no intentions of quitting because they have work or old football injuries, and it’s the only thing that deadens the pain. Fine....but you can’t rely upon these people after a year or two, and they’ve doubled their dosage level. These are people are no real use for a company, and can’t be relied upon to work in a safe fashion anymore. You might as well give them some medical retirement deal and just let them stay home.
Not yet, it isn't. This is a private hospital acting of their own volition. People are free to pick another hospital. And the headline is completely wrong. They are not ending the use of opioids, just trying other options first.
Of course, later in the article, the usual Democratic politician suspects show up, looking for opportunities to federalize the effort. Or, more accurately, they're looking for the New Jersey pharmaceutical industry to recognize the threat and start floating some prophylactic payola up the turnpike.
Ya. I have heard that “Jersey” is a sue happy state in addition to a nanny state. Apparently they won’t allow a person to fill their own gas tank.
That's right, ban something that would help the majority because of a small minority. The liberal way.
Agreed. Not fun. And apparently it destroys your teeth. Be thankful that you are healthy and pain free.
Being in constant and severe pain can drive even the strongest willed person to the brink.
Because there are alcoholics and more than a few behind the wheel of a vehicle. So let’s return to prohibition.
I had that experience, which is why I’ll never take them again. Didn’t do much for my pain anyway.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.